Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film ReviewFilm Reviews

Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film Review


Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film Review

Contact (1997)

Sat, 10 Jan 2026

This week, Shat The Movies looks to the stars with Contact, Robert Zemeckis's thoughtful, talky, and occasionally frustrating sci-fi drama about faith, science, and whether humanity is ready for the truth. Based on Carl Sagan's novel and anchored by a career-best performance from Jodie Foster, Contact dares to ask big questions—then spends two and a half hours arguing about who gets to answer them.

Gene and Big D debate whether this is smart, adult science fiction or a preachy lecture disguised as a blockbuster. They dig into Matthew McConaughey's spiritual hot takes, the movie's suspicious politics, the weirdly hostile government oversight, and one of the most memorable fake-out climaxes of the '90s. Along the way, they ask the ultimate Shat question: is Contact profound—or just very impressed with itself?

Plot Summary

A driven scientist discovers an alien signal containing instructions to build a mysterious machine, forcing humanity to confront the conflict between science, faith, politics, and the possibility that we are not alone.

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Glory (1989)

Mon, 05 Jan 2026

This week on Shat the Movies, we march into Glory (1989), the powerful Civil War epic telling the true story of the 54th Massachusetts, the first African American volunteer infantry regiment. With unforgettable performances by Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick, the film tackles courage, sacrifice, and the fight for dignity. Gene and Big D dig into the emotional weight, historical accuracy, and lasting impact of this Oscar-winning drama. Does Glory still resonate today? Tune in and find out.

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Mixed Nuts (1994)

Fri, 26 Dec 2025

This Christmas, Shat The Movies takes a detour into one of the strangest holiday comedies ever made with Mixed Nuts, Nora Ephron's chaotic 1994 remake of the French farce Le Père Noël est une ordure. We're revisiting this deeply uncomfortable Christmas movie in honor of the late Rob Reiner, who helped define smart, character-driven comedies—even when they didn't always work.

Gene and Big D unpack how a film with an absurdly stacked cast—Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Rita Wilson, Adam Sandler, Juliette Lewis, and Liev Schreiber—somehow became a cult curiosity instead of a holiday classic. They debate whether Mixed Nuts was simply ahead of its time, fatally misjudged in tone, or doomed by trying to balance farce, mental health, and Christmas cheer in the same gift box.

Along the way, the guys reflect on why Mixed Nuts now plays less like a failed holiday romp and more like a bizarre time capsule of transitional Hollywood. Is this a Christmas movie worth reclaiming—or one best left buried under the tree?

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Donnie Darko (2001)

Mon, 22 Dec 2025

This week, Shat The Movies dives headfirst into early-2000s suburban dread with Donnie Darko, the cult classic that launched a thousand dorm-room debates and taught a generation to fear jet engines and men in bunny suits. Commissioned by listeners Wes and Fernando, this episode tackles Richard Kelly's time-bending, angst-soaked sci-fi drama that somehow feels even more relevant today.

Gene and Big D unpack Jake Gyllenhaal's star-making performance, the film's iconic '80s soundtrack, and whether Donnie Darko is a brilliant meditation on fate and free will—or just an elaborate emo Rorschach test. Along the way, they debate self-help gurus, creepy motivational speakers, suburban hypocrisy, and why this movie hits differently depending on when you first saw it.

Is Donnie Darko a misunderstood masterpiece or a pretentious puzzle box that gets more credit than it deserves? Grab your Philosophy of Time Travel and find out.

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Sideways (2004)

Thu, 18 Dec 2025

Struggling writer and wine enthusiast Miles (Paul Giamatti) takes his engaged friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), on a trip to wine country for a last single-guy bonding experience. While Miles wants to relax and enjoy the wine, Jack is in search of a fling before his wedding. Soon, Jack is sleeping with Stephanie (Sandra Oh), while her friend Maya (Virginia Madsen) connects with Miles. When Miles lets slip that Jack is getting married, both women are furious, sending the trip into disarray. Commissioned by Christopher D.

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